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Blackwood Branch

We meet at 2.00 pm on Third Tuesday of the month at St Augustine’s Church Hall, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood, NP12 2JG.

Activities

We are a friendly group and visitors are always sure of a warm welcome.

Meetings

Our meetings are open to the public and there is no charge to attend. However we do run a raffle to help offset our hire charges and which also includes refreshments.

Branch meetings are a mix of speakers (on relevant Family History topics) and research evenings. Visitors are welcome to look at our CD Collection but we would encourage them to join the society after 3 visits so that they can benefit fully from all that the Society has to offer. This also helps us with our responsibility towards data protection and the copyright of our resources

Projects
As a branch we are engaged in the transcription of various materials held at the Gwent Archives that are pertinent to our area. These can range from Church/Chapel records to School Admission Registers. Everything the branch has produced can be viewed in the Store on the Society Website. Members are given the opportunity to get involved in these projects. We have members who like to do the transcribing, those who prefer checking and those who take photographs of the documents at the Archives by pre-arrangement. We have experienced members who are willing to sit down with a new volunteer and ‘show them the ropes’. When the checking is finished another team then compiles the information, and converts the material into suitable files to be burnt onto CD. The whole process can take a long time, but the volunteers only commit to what they know they can do, and how much time they have.

Help Desks
We run help desks at eleven different libraries throughout our area to answer queries and give help and advice to members of the public researching their family history. You can check our events page on the Website to see if or when there is a Help Desk operating near you.

Open Days and Fairs
From time to time we have the opportunity to visit events run by other Societies, and sometimes we are able to help with the manning of the stands, otherwise it is an opportunity to obtain supplies to help further our own research.

Facilities

Book Library
We have a selection of books of historical or genealogical interest, to assist members with their research or to provide information on the social or historic background. Members may borrow the books.

CD-ROM Library
We have a library of CD-ROMs, which members can use at the Branch meetings. They include all branch transcriptions together with a range from other sources within the county and beyond.
Microfiche Library
We have sets of various microfiche and fiche readers. They include the Monumental Inscriptions for some parts of Monmouthshire.

Computer Access
We have access to the Internet and subscriptions to Ancestry, FindMyPast and The Genealogist.

Wealth of Knowledge
We have experienced researchers who will happily sit down with new beginners and show them the way forward.

If you are interested in researching your Family History in this area, please come and visit us. Our meeting dates are advertised on the Events tab of the Society Website and were also given at the start of this post. You will receive a warm welcome.

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